#60: Everything will be okay
Cultivating delight and gratitude; Naikan, a practice of self-reflection; and stay tuned for Ethereum educational content
Hey friends,
Sometime this past year, I can’t remember exactly when, but the date doesn’t matter, I read The Book of Delights, an absolutely lovely (may I say… why, of course, you may, the perfect word - delightful!) book of essays by the poet Ross Gay. Every single day, starting on his birthday, Ross wrote one essay (the same cadence I write Sharing is Caring).
One common thread weaves through every single essay, from the lighthearted and joyful essays about insects and animals and trees, to the essays about serious and somber truths concerning racism (Ross is a black man), to growing up poor (Ross’ dad worked as a server at Applebees); Ross threads the needle so magnificently, so beautifully, so lovingly: with absolute raw, juicy, delight, in every single essay, every single day.
Ross’ mastery over language, over words, helps to prick readers straight to their core, to their soul, the guarded prison many of us are out of touch with, and desperately need a gentle master craftsman like Ross to help us unearth our delights, even amidst our own sorrow, grief, and longing - in the best of times and in the worst of times.
Most importantly, I argue that Ross Gay shows the world that one can, contrary to popular opinion, be a gentle and kind super achiever. That one can find delight in even the most grey of days, when our mind is highly anxious or depressed, and when we may need a little reminder to be kind, to ourselves, and to others. That everything will be okay.
Everything will be okay.
Take a look at this graphic below.
Basically, the beginning, when we’re born, is about people, about relationships. Then, the middle, when we go about life, is also about people, about relationships. At the end, when we die, it continues to be about people, about relationships.
A newsletter reader, and friend, Dan, shared with me a fascinating self-reflection practice called Naikan, developed in the 1940s, by Ishin Yoshimoto, a businessman and a Buddhist.
The practice is simple. All you have to do is ask yourself 3 questions:
What did I give today to ___ (fill in the blank with your partner, child, close friend, close coworker)
What did I receive today from ___ (fill in the blank with your partner, child, close friend, close coworker)
What troubles did I cause to ___ ((fill in the blank with your partner, child, close friend, close coworker)
Through this self-reflection, you hold a mirror up to your actions, gaining an understanding in how you are impacting your relationships, and cultivating gratitude for how much others are giving you, perhaps previously unnoticed gifts, appreciations, or small acts of kindness.
The practice is same, same, to looking at your physical appearance in the mirror before you leave the house, to make sure your hair isn’t crazy, that you don’t have lunch leftovers in your teeth, or that your shirt collar isn’t turned the wrong way - but different because you’re holding up a mirror to your behaviors, to how you carry yourself in the world.
Thank you, Dan!
In the spirit of giving, I will start to use this newsletter, beginning tomorrow, to share Ethereum educational content. As a crypto enthusiast since 2017, and former Product Manager, weaving my way through 3 crypto startups, and now several DAOs, I have a lot of ‘pick my brain-esque’ content to share. More information coming tomorrow, so stay tuned.
P.S. Don’t worry, this won’t become some gimmicky marketing content about which crypto to buy to make you a bajillionare. This will be valuable, useful knowledge, in a manageable, beginner friendly format. More details coming tomorrow.
Take care, friends, and take care of yourselves. Don’t forget to be kind. I love you all.
Ishin Yoshimoto has three great questions for each of us to reflect on daily